The Roots are commemorating the 20th anniversary of their 1999 breakthrough album Things Fall Apart with an expanded reissue.

The 3LP collection is set for release on 27 September via Geffen/Urban Legends and includes a remastered version of the album on double vinyl with a third LP of bonus tracks curated by Questlove, a 24-page booklet featuring rare photos, retrospective essays by Black Thought and Questlove and track-by-track liner notes from Questlove.

The 3LP collection will be available on a standard black vinyl, crystal-clear as well as digitally, that includes ‘New Years @ Jay Dee’s’ that’s being available digitally for the first time.

The limited Collector’s Edition features all of the bonus features on crystal-clear vinyl and a die-cut slipcase of the primary cover art plus the four original alternate covers as interchangeable lithographs plus a sixth, brand new bonus cover.

Named after Chinua Achebe’s 1958 masterpiece Things Fall Apart, The Roots’ career-upending album built upon the legendary Philadelphia rap crew’s underground success of their first three albums – Organix, Do You Want More?!!!??! and Illadelph Halflife and earned them the kind of mainstream success that previously eluded them and signalled a sea change in hip-hop.

“Dilla was too brilliant for you to ever get jealous or for you to feel a certain way,” Questlove told Urban Legends in a previous interview. “He was so brilliant that you knew he was God and you just accepted it.”

Things Fall Apart both helped to legitimise neo-soul but was still gritty enough to appeal to hip-hop fans. Thanks to a pioneering fusion of live instrumentation, sampling, and Black Thought’s provactive wordplay, Things Fall Apart remains one of the most influential albums in hip-hop history.

The album was a critical and commercial success, garnering the group their first Grammy win, platinum-certified status and the No.4 spot on the Billboard 200.

All this acclaim propelled the Roots to the next level, setting them on a course for future success and eventually landing them the house band position on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.

Things Fall Apart will be available on 27 September and can be pre-ordered here.

Things Fall Apart

Side A

A1 Act Won (Things Fall Apart)

A2 Table Of Content (Parts 1 & 2)

A3 The Next Movement

A4 Step Into The Realm

A5 The Spark

Side B

B1 Dynamite!

B2 Without A Doubt

B3 Ain’t Saying Nothin’ New

B4 Double Trouble

Side C

C1 Act Too (The Love Of My Life)

C2 100% Dundee

C3 Diedre Vs. Dice

C4 Adrenaline!

C5 3rd Acts: ? Vs. Scratch 2…Electric Boogaloo

Side D

D1 You Got Me

D2 Don’t See Us

D3 The Return To Innocence Lost

D4 Act Fore… The End?

Bonus Tracks
Side E

E1 Table of Contents #3 – cut from album; previously released on The Legendary EP; available for the first time digitally